Pleasant Surprises
by wingedflower
Summary: Allura and Lance spend some much-needed alone time after all the craziness.


**I am mad at season 7 for practically ignoring Lance, so I've decided to write a fic to fix it. Even though I have tendonitis and shouldn't really be typing on my free time. This is how mad I am.**

 **So here, have some Allurance fluffy quality time. I suppose most of this can be read as gen, but my intention was romantic, because I think these two should totally be a couple. So, even if you don't support this ship, please refrain from hate comments. I do not appreciate those.**

-x-

The sheer silence in the empty Garrison hallways nearly hurt Lance's ears as he gingerly made his way out of his room. It made sense – ever since they got back to Earth he pretty much forgot what silence was like, especially after being confined to a hospital bed for three whole days with about a dozen noisy siblings filling the room in every given moment. The nurses had tried to ask (or more precisely, command) them to be quiet, stressing that Lance needed all the rest he could get, but… well, trying to get a huge, worried-to-death Cuban family to keep quiet was like trying to explain Keith how to finish the phrase "I say Vol, you say – ". It was simply hopeless.

Not that Lance minded the noise. Actually, he didn't mind that at all. Because no matter how exhausted he felt, or how much his body ached (the Garrison's medical facilities were the most advanced on Earth, but nothing could compare to the Altean cryopods; if he could hop in one of those, he would be up and doing laps around the base in less than a day), he had his _family_ with him. And that was the best cure in the whole universe.

Besides, after spending all these long weeks in empty space, with no voices to listen to other than the low mechanical buzz of the red lion or his own breaths, Lance never wanted to be surrounded by silence ever again.

And yet. Being cooped up with his family for three days was starting to feel a bit too much, even for Lance. Sure, he had missed them desperately; he was so glad to be back home he couldn't imagine himself ever leaving again (a thought that had been pushed violently back to the furthest, deepest corner of his mind and stayed there for the time being).

But everything just happened so _fast._ It has been barely a week since the paladins' feet landed on Earth ground only to jump back into their lions and fight the Galra in what felt like one, endless, ferocious battle, in which they nearly died numerous times (with a bonus near-death experience for Lance, for the time Red appeared at the last second to prevent him and his sister from becoming human porridge). And then the Galra were finally defeated, and there was the memorial, and reconstruction plans for their ruined planet, and everybody was so eager to see the paladins of Voltron, the heroes who had saved the entire planet from doom; however, said heroes were currently locked at the Garrison's medical wing, their families never leaving their sides to the point their presence became almost suffocating.

Who could possibly blame Lance for wanting a little break from all this?

It wasn't like he was going to leave the building; his injuries would never let him get that far, and the place was so heavily guarded he doubted he could even make it to the elevator without running into a staff member who would drag him back to bed by the ears.

But this floor had a huge balcony only two doors from his room, and he could definitely use some fresh air.

He relished in the cool evening breeze that brushed his face once he made it to the balcony. His right thigh already throbbed in pain from the short journey – the doctors said he would probably need some therapy for it to recover fully, and until then, he had to rely on a crutch – but he didn't mind. Being outside in the open air felt amazing, especially after smelling nothing but antiseptic creams and hospital sheets for so long.

The balcony appeared to be empty, which was no wonder – it was dinner time, and except for the paladins who got their meals delivered to their rooms, all the residents of the Garrison had to report to the dining hall at this hour. Lance inhaled deeply, feeling his chest expand and grimacing just a bit (his broken ribs were only partially healed).

Only then he spotted the lone figure who occupied the balcony, sitting on the most distant bench and watching the stars.

"A-Allura!" he blurted out. What was she doing out here? Did she seek some alone time as well?

The princess turned around, her face brightening once she recognized Lance. She was wearing the Garrisson uniform again, not a hospital suit like the rest of the paladins. "Lance!" she called. "You are out of bed!" she wrinkled her forehead as her eyes rested on his crutch. "Should you be out of bed?"

Lance shrugged. "I'm managing. Um… am I interrupting anything? I just wanted to get some fresh air, but I can go back if you want to be alone."

"Oh, please! You are never interrupting." Lance felt his cheeks warm in spite of himself, and hoped she wouldn't notice from this distance. "Come here, there is plenty of room on this bench."

"Thanks, princess." Lance limped to her, and sighed in relief when he finally reached the bench and all but collapsed on it, carefully stretching his right leg in front of him.

Allura frowned. "Are you sure you are alright walking around like this? You seem to be in pain."

Lance huffed out a breath. "Come on, nothing can break _this_ gorgeous body!" Allura's frown only deepened, and Lance flinched. "I mean," he murmured, "I'm fine. Honestly. I just couldn't stay in bed anymore."

Allura's expression softened. "That is understandable."

Lance grinned. "But _you_ look great! I mean," he added quickly, "You always look great." Quiznak, he was blushing _again_. "Just… um... well, you look _healthy_."

"I was discharged from the medical wing this morning," Allura said. "As you recall, Alteans heal a lot faster than humans." She chuckled. "The nurses were quite overwhelmed, though. Apparently they are not familiar with our biology."

"Ah, yes, I forgot you guys were a super species or something," Lance said. "But why are you here all by yourself? Where are Coran and Romelle?"

Allura returned her gaze to the evening sky. Was it just Lance, or did her eyes clouded for a moment? "Just needed some fresh air, as you said. The weather is rather pleasant in this part of your planet, at least after the sun sets."

"Yeah, nights at the desert can be pretty awesome," Lance crossed his arms behind his head. "But still, nothing compares to Cuba."

"Cuba?"

"My country. Where I was born. When we get out of this place, I'm taking you there. White beaches, blue ocean, palm trees… you're going to love it."

Allura smiled. "It does sound like a nice place. Do you have more family there?"

"Of course I do! What, these guys here?" he pointed at the general direction of his room. "They're only a small part of the whole clan! My grandparents are still in Cuba, and so are most of my aunts and uncles and a couple of cousins and my second cousins and…"

"Oh dear." Allura was quite flabbergasted by the list. "I knew you had a big family, but I haven't realized just _how_ big it was."

Lance quirked an eyebrow playfully. "Wait, are you telling me you _still_ haven't learned the names of all of my siblings?"

Allura's eyes widened. "Was… was I supposed to do that?"

Lance threw his head back and laughed (but not too hard, as his ribs were still somewhat sensitive). "Nah, you're good. There are some people in my family who don't know everyone's names." He winked at her and her expression relaxed. "But hey, you should come meet them. I hadn't had the chance to properly introduce you between all the fighting, but I'm sure they'll love you. Seriously, all my niece can talk about these days is how she's going to see a real princess; just let her play with your hair and she'll never leave you alone."

Allura smiled again, although it didn't quite reach her eyes this time. "I'll stop by later." She turned to look at the stars again, lost in thought.

"Allura?" Lance asked. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, of course," Allura replied, too quickly and in a voice higher then normal. She didn't look at him.

Lance nudged her shoulder. "Come on, I can see there's something on your mind. You know you can tell me everything."

Allura sighed. "Those sniper eyes of yours do not miss anything, do they?"

"That's why the call me the sharpshooter," Lance finger-gunned at the princess, who rolled her eyes, even though her shoulders relaxed the slightest bit.

"The last couple of days have been an amazing experience," she said quietly. "Seeing all of you reunite with your families, and the people of this planet come together to rebuild it after the war… it truly made me happy. But, well," the edges of her mouth twitched, "I guess that in times like this, of victory and family reunions and new beginnings, I'm always reminded of my own family. The one I had lost." She hunched forward, hugging herself with both arms. "Coran is like a second father to me, and Romelle is also very dear to me, but I can't help but wish I too could see my parents again, and hug them, and tell them just how I missed them." She turned back to Lance and smiled sadly. "Is that horribly selfish of me?"

"Absolutely not," Lance said gently. "It's totally natural to feel that way. It's human – or, wait, Altean?" he wrinkled his forehead, then cleared his throat. "Anyway, you're anything but selfish, Allura. I know that if my family had been…" his voice wavered, unable to utter out loud the possibility, "I would've been devastated to see everyone else with theirs. You've seen how upset Hunk was until he found his own family – you didn't think _he_ was being selfish, right?"

Allura shook her head. "I suppose you are right". A hint of a smirk appeared at the edges of her lips. "As you usually are."

Lance felt his ears pinken, and once again he was grateful for the darkness. "Who, me? Naaah. I'm the dumb one, remember?" he kept his tone light and joking, even though that game show hallucination _still_ made something deep inside of him sting with shame every time he thought about it.

Allura poked him in the ribs, _hard_ , and he yelped as she aggravated his injury. "You are _not_ dumb," she said sharply. "And if I hear you say this one more time, I will break your thigh _again._ You know I am capable of that."

"I know," Lance said weakly, rubbing his aching side.

Allura chuckled, and Lance was glad to see she seemed to be in a much better mood. "I'm serious. There were so many times in the past Phoebs I thought I was going to break, but you were always there to help me keep it together. Back at the castle, when I said you had greatness in you, I truly meant that. Even if you are yet to see it yourself." Her jeweled eyes reflected the stars as they gazed right into his. "I am so glad to have you by my side."

Lance made his best effort to control his face, as his heart was beating so fast he was afraid it would leap out of his throat. "I, uh, me too," he stammered. "I mean, I'm also glad to have me – to have _you_ by my side," holy Quiznak, her eyes were so breathtaking, he was barely coherent at this point.

Allura grinned, and this time it was sincere. "And I'm also glad you found your family. I really am. I'd love to meet them, especially your niece."

"Oh, careful what you wish for," Lance said. "She's a sweet kid, but when I said she'll never leave you alone, I meant _never_. This girl is so obsessed with Disney princesses it's scary. But first you should meet my mom. I'm sure she'll love you – she always told me she was waiting for the day I'd bring a decent girl home…" he stopped at once as he realized what he was saying. His face grew so hot he felt dizzy.

However, just as the words left his mouth Allura's face broke into a huge yawn.

"Oh my," she said sheepishly, covering her mouth. "It seems like my wounds had been healed, but I still need to replenish my sleep cycle. I apologize, I just feel so tired all of a sudden."

"N-no problem," Lance wheezed, legs growing weak with a mixture of relief and disappointment. "Do you want me to walk you back to your room or – "

He never got to finish his sentence, as suddenly Allura leaned to the side and rested her head on his shoulder.

Lance's entire body went numb. "Ah…" he croaked, but Allura remained pressed against him (albeit careful not to put too much pressure on his ribs), turning her head so her white bangs tickled his chin.

"Is that alright?" she asked, voice barely a whisper. Lance felt the soft hum of her breath through his collarbone. "Staying like this? Just for a little while."

"S…. sure." Lance said faintly, not daring to look down at her and fixing his eyes on the stars instead.

He wasn't sure what was happening exactly, but something in his heart told him that it was right, so he released a long breath and let himself droop on the bench, feeling at peace for the first time since he woke up after the battle.

-x-x-x-

Lance's mother could barely contain her nerves as she stomped towards the balcony. She understood her son's need to spend some time out of his room, but it was getting late and he hadn't taken his meds yet and at this rate he was going to catch a cold and _dios ayúdala_ _,_ she was not going to let _that_ happen -

She came to an abrupt stop as she saw the two figures occupying the faraway bench.

Lance and Allura, the Altean princess, were sitting next to each other, sleeping peacefully for all she could see. The princess was snuggled close against her son's waist, her head resting on his shoulder, while Lance's head was inclined so that his chin was brushing Allura's pearl-like curls. They looked like they had been sitting like this for a while now, completely oblivious to anything else that existed in the world.

The older woman smiled to herself and carefully stepped back, keeping her steps as silent as possible.

The war has taken many things from her; but it also brought her son back home and – if her instincts as a mother were any good – was about to bring upon their family a few more unexpected, more-than-pleasant surprises.

-x-

 **It felt weird to give Lance's mom a name before the show did (although I doubt they ever will, after all they have become experts in ignoring Lance's backstory *frustrated mumbling*), so I decided to go with "Lance's mother". XD**

 **If you enjoyed this, please leave a review! It will make me so happy.**


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